What Now?
by Michellin Quavers
Summary: Set after Eternity Code, this story tells of what happens after
1. Prologue

Commander Root looked at Capt. Holly Short helping Foaly with some paperwork. He knew this was very uncharacteristic of her. Poor girl, he thought, not many things can bring her down like this. He knew that, ever since Artemis Fowl the second's mind wipe, she had been feeling depressed and unable to focus on her work. Just last week, she almost got herself killed by an escaped troll, which, ironically, she tackled two years back and also nearly ended in a total fiasco. "Ahhhh, what does she see in that Mud Boy, anyway? Maybe a few weeks off might take her mind off this all," he mumbled as he strode to Holly's direction.  
  
Foaly took the stack of files from Holly's hands and placed them beside his desk in his office. From the corner of his eye, he saw her sit quietly on a chair, fidgeting with her LEP helmet. "Uh, Holly," he began, "er, what are you planning to do this coming weekend?" He knew this was a lame way of trying to pry some words from her, but this was all he could come up with. "I don't know, what do you think?" she replied absentmindedly. Foaly shook his head while rearranging the files, which made him drop the topmost one. He picked it up and saw that it was the one about Artemis. "A formidable opponent of the People.once helped in containing the B'wa Kell uprising.mind-wiped after nearly divulging the secret of the People to another Mud Man through the C-cube.ya-di-ya-di-ya, a whole load of trash" he mumbled. He quickly placed it back with the other files before Holly could sneak a peek and sink into depression again.  
  
"Short!" Root bellowed while bending over her to make sure he fully got her attention. Holly, who hadn't been yelled to like that for a week (and forgot what it was like), almost fell out of her chair and stood up straight. "Yessir?" "What do you say to a whole week off?" Root said. "I don't know, sir, is it necessary?" (Root chuckled to himself, knowing that a good little argument will perk her up a bit). "What do you mean is it necessary? I'm asking you, Captain!" "I've never done any strenuous missions yet, sir, so I don't think so." "What if I do?" "Well, sir, I-" "One week! Vacation! Absolutely no work!" "But, sir I-!" "No objections!" " But I haven't done-!" "What did I just say, Captain?" "It's just that-" "NOT ANOTHER WORD! YOUR ONE WEEK VACATION STARTS NOW!" "Uh, yessir!"  
  
As Holly strode out of the office (obviously weirded out by her commander's recent display of anger), Foaly whispered to Root, "Do you really think it's good for her for you to shout like that?" Root, uncharacteristically not blowing his top, replied, "Well, the Holly Short we know thinks so. Now, let's see in a week whether the real Holly Short is what we're gonna get."  
  
While on the surface of the Earth, in Jamaica specifically, Mulch Diggums, or rather, Mark DeGaume as he's now called, is savoring freedom after being released from his charges. "I gotta hand it to that Fowl kid," he said to himself, "he's a real lifesaver." He grabs a hero sandwich from his table and a small note fell from his pocket. Mulch picks it up and chuckles at the little memo he wrote for himself. It read: Get yourself a nice little condo in Jamaica. (Check.) Savor long earned freedom. ("Check") Return the favor by restoring Fowl's memory. He scowled at the last part, knowing Artemis would want him to wait 2 more years for that, but he was itching for action. " 'Together, we would be unstoppable,' he said," he mumbled, stuffing the memo into his pocket, "Aww, he's mind-wiped anyway! What he doesn't know won't hurt him! Well, I better pack my bags, 'cause I'm off to Ireland!"  
  
Artemis stared restlessly outside his Mercedes-Benz window. He then took out of his briefcase, for the umpteenth time, a small glass vial containing a set of contact lenses. "I will unlock your secrets, my friend, one way or another," he said, as if the enigmatic little lenses taunted him, teasing him, telling him not even his superior intellect could decipher their mystery. "What time did the contact at Limerick say he'll meet us again?" he asked Butler, who was driving. Hiding a smirk (this is also the umpteenth time Artemis asked the question), the manservant replied, "8:00 p.m., Artemis, we have sufficient time. And it's not like anyone would stop us. Your parents think you're on a school trip, while your headmaster thinks you have a very grave family affair that's come to your attention." Artemis smiled and relaxed. "It was only a matter of proper wordings and perfect signature-forging, Butler. They will never suspect a thing." 


	2. Preparations

Disclaimer: I was out of my marbles to forget writing this the first time, so here goes. I do not own Arty Fowl or any other characters in there you know. Whew! That took a lot out of me!  
  
Butler smiled and thought how every scheme Artemis comes up with always succeeds. Suddenly, for a brief instant, a memory flashed of him taking a bullet meant for Artemis. At that same instant, Artemis was staring deep into the vial when he too had a brief flash of memory. In his case, the memory was of looking at another pair of contact lenses and saying, "A technological marvel it may be, but its hazel." Then, another figure, a bit hazy, replied, "Of course it's hazel. My eyes are hazel." And, as quickly as both of their memories surfaced, they were gone. Both of them quickly shrugged it off and went on their way uninterrupted.  
  
Holly let out a sigh of content after finishing of a tub of frozen ice cream and just tossing it aside. "I should ask for vacations more often!" she said to herself, smiling, while picturing the look on Root's face if she does. But after five minutes of just lounging around, she realized she has no idea on what to do. "D 'Arvit! It's not like me to just waste my time not doing anything! What in the name of the gods will I do for the next six days?" Pondering her choices (which weren't a lot, mind you); she finally decided to get a visa for aboveground transport. She was so excited with the idea that she already began packing. Then, just before she had crammed a container of water into her bag, reality dawned on her. "Where would I go?" she said aloud. Sitting on the floor cross-legged, she snapped her fingers together. "Ireland! Perfect! I could visit that annoying little brat Fowl! He owes me for all the days I spent on thinking about him. Yeah, that's it!" Then, after somehow managing to cram the water container into her stuffed-to-the-brim bag, she was off to get her visa.  
  
Excitedly barging into the Customs unit, she began speaking hurriedly about her visa, when Foaly, who happened to be in a routine sweep of the area, caught her eye. "Holly! Savoring your free time, I see!" he said, after ducking out of site from the rest of the LEP officers who came with him. Holly, her excitement over the aboveground vacation evaporating, stepped aside for the other vacationers also applying for a visa. "Ireland, nice vacation spot, eh?" she said, after telling him of her plans. Foaly shook her head. "Now, now, Captain Short, you aren't getting any ideas there, are you?" Holly, knowing he read her mind easily as ever, bent her head, defeated, until Foaly whispered, "Because if you are, I wanna be in it! After the morning shift is gone, meet me back at H.Q. I have a little secret I bet you would want to use."  
  
Mulch sat, fuming, inside his condo. His trunks are packed, but where will he get the money for the trip? "I'm so stupid, so stupid! Mulch think! Where am I gonna get some quick cash?" He searched in his belongings whether he had anything of value he could use, when the pendant Artemis gave him fell out of his bag (you noticed this is the second time something pivotal in the story falls out from somewhere near Mulch?). After much debating with himself, he pocketed it, saying, "Sorry, Artemis, I'll have to pawn this thing." So, out he went to the nearest pawnshop.  
  
The Mercedes-Benz halted in a hotel's parking lot, as Butler and Artemis climbed out of their car. Artemis, very sullen, almost lost his calm exterior after talking to their contact in Limerick. "Artemis, I know he had his reasons to postpone his meeting with us," Butler said in an effort to cheer him up. Artemis, resisting the urge to kick a nearby stone to Timbuktu, replied, "I know, Butler, it's just that I've been especially looking forward to this. I find this recent turn of events very, disappointing. But no matter, another day's wait would be worth it."  
  
Holly waited for Foaly to come out of the office. "Now, Foaly, no nonsense." Foaly snickered, beckoning her to a hardly visited part of Police Plaza. He opened a door of a janitor's closet and patted something on the shelf hidden under a little blanket. "This, my friend, is the result of months of tinkering. It's got regular features like communications and everything else you find in your standard LEP helmet." Holly, sitting down on the floor after locking the door, said, "Well, if it's got all that, then it's no better than our regular equipment. Tell me it's something special, Foaly." Foaly mumbled something like "unappreciated genius" before answering her question. "Well, there is a special feature about my little gizmo here that will positively tickle you pink. Do you know what a chameleon does, Holly?" "It's elementary, Foaly. A chameleon changes his color according to its environment." Foaly flashed a grin. "Exactly. This little 'chameleon' will make you look like a typical Mud Man and unless one of them is looking for a girlfriend, they won't look twice at you. No pointy ears or any height deficiency or anything."  
  
Foaly removed the blanket and fitted the device to Holly's wrist. "And this thing will shield itself from Mud Man eyes, so no need to worry." Holly looked from the device to Foaly. "If Root finds out, it's not only my job that's in jeopardy, you know." Foaly patted her on the back. "Well, I'll do anything to help the only friend I have. Now, to business."  
  
M. Quavers: Hey! Sorry for the previous mix-ups. I'm doing all of my stories hastily because I don't want anyone at home seeing it. Anyway, sorry for the errors again. 


	3. Oops

Mulch rubbed the first-class airplane seat cover with fervor. "Didn't know how far that little nugget of gold could take me! All the more reason to thank Fowl," he mumbled while stroking his beard.  
  
The plane touched down, and as soon as he was done with all the hustle and bustle of the airport, he rented a car and drove to Fowl Manor. But suddenly, as the road was slippery from a previous rain and Mulch was driving like his life depended on it, he almost collided with a Mercedes- Benz and his car skidded off the road. "Oh, what a whole load of baloney!" he yelled in frustration while surveying the damage. He turned around to curse the other car but it drove on. He was about to say something generally impolite until he squinted his eyes to see whom the driver was. "Butler?"  
  
Mulch ran the length of the street, dodging cars while praying hard not to be road kill. "Fowl, you better be ready for me when I catch up with you!" he screeched, after almost colliding with a motorcycle. He ran and ran till his legs felt like jelly. Almost there, he thought, just a little longer. Just a little-"AAAAAAAHHH!" Too preoccupied with running, he didn't notice the Mercedes-Benz's brake lights flare up. He stopped himself just in time, but the car wheeled around quickly, noticing him, and almost collided with another car, which blocked half the road and caused traffic jam enough to bring on a migraine. Many people crowded around to shake their heads at the mess, but one particular person pushed aside everyone else to reach the "epicenter".  
  
The minute the lady saw Mulch rubbing his aching legs, she let out a yell. "MULCH!" Mulch looked up at her and said, "Hey, lady, your voice sounds familiar but how do you-Captain Short? CAPTAIN SHORT!" "MULCH! YOU PEST! WHAT'RE YOU DOING HERE?" "Wait, Short, what are YOU doing here?" "You're not in the position to argue!" "What on Earth is happening here? You, sir, why have you been following us?" Holly (about to clobber Mulch) and Mulch (preparing to eject gas to escape) looked at the pale teen who just stepped out of the car, followed by the manservant. Holly grumbled, "Guess we'll have to explain everything." 


	4. More Oops

After the traffic jam was cleared up, and the traffic enforcer gave Mulch a stern word, Artemis beckoned the two to come with him to explain what's going on. On the way back to the hotel, it was Holly who broke the silence. "So, Mulch, our favorite kleptomaniac," she began, " how, and why did you come here?" Mulch, not daring to say anything stupid, replied, "Plane ride. Reverse mind-wipe. You?" Holly leaned back and gave her answer. "Magma flare. Rode the hotshots. Vacation. Planned to clobber him on the nose." Artemis cleared his throat and said, "I presume this 'him' would be yours truly? I expect a lot of explanations when we're safely back at the hotel."  
  
When they were back at the hotel, Butler noticed the door was ajar, and told them not to come inside. Drawing his Sig Sauer, he burst into the room and pointed at the nearest person there, just in time to see ten sets of Neutrinos pointing in his direction. The one in the middle shouted, "Short! Get your darned backside in here! NOW!" A very reluctant Holly Short slowly slid through the door and walked over to Julius Root's side.  
  
Root gestured for all of the LEP officers to withdraw their weapons. Somewhere outside, they heard a floorboard creak, and Root yelled yet again, "CONVICT! You're not getting away this time! IN HERE NOW!" Creeping into the room in the same slow motion was Mulch, followed by Artemis, who was becoming very baffled with every second he spends with his "newfound" friends. The LEP unit, who gasped when they first saw Butler enter the room were equally shocked when they saw Artemis, if not more. Most of them were new to the job, and didn't really expect to come face to face with the legendary Artemis, who was once one of the most dangerous Mud Men the People encountered.  
  
Artemis folded his arms and tapped his foot on the floor, saying, "Well, Ms. Holly, is it? I'm waiting for that explanation you owe me." Mulch, after breaking free from Root's grip on his collar, staggered forward and said, "I think I should be the one to do the talking. You see, you gave that job to me, before your memory went zap along with this medallion with a CD on it which, I, uh, pawned, back at, Jamaica. Gulp." Holly was already taking on the same color as Julius the moment those last words came out, but Root still has the word as he threw down his cigar on the floor in anger. "Curse-you-imbecile!" he yelled.  
  
Then he turned to Holly and yelled, "And what've you done to your face? You look like a Mud Man!" Holly, forgetting about the device, pushed a button and immediately reverted back to her old self. "Sir, it was just a device constructed by Foa - someone I know." Well, she thought, at least Foaly would get away with it. But the activation of the "chameleon's" com-link reminded her she spoke too soon. "Hey Holly-tosis," Foaly said for everyone in the room to hear, "is Fowl nose-bleeding yet?" Julius grabbed Holly's wrist where the device was attached to and shouted at it. "Oh, Foaly, I swear when we get back at HQ, YOURS WILL DEFINITELY BLEED!"  
  
The pawnshop owner, let's call him Walter, took the CD to a nearby computer specialist, who examined it. "Hmm, very interesting plot," he mumbled. "Well, what is it?" Walter asked. The specialist said, "From what I see: fairies, futuristic technology, and a young crime genius, I'd say this is a very ingenious novel plot. Wait no, it's not a plot, the novel is already completed. Who is the owner of the CD?" Walter checked his customer list and said, "This guy's called Mark DeGaume, and by the looks of this guy when I saw him, he doesn't look like a novelist to me." The specialist fixed his glasses and said, "Well, looks are deceiving, sir. Maybe he simply forgot this was attached to the medallion he pawned. Maybe it would be better for me to copy the contents of this thing and post it in the Internet, so Mr. DeGaume could claim it." A few taps on the keyboard and a few more on the computer mouse and the "story" was saved in the computer. "See how he wrote this novel, Mr. Walter? It's as if he was in the story himself." 


	5. Of Encrypted Discs and Total Recalls

Disclaimer: Ain't got no nothing to do to with nothing about no Artemis Fowl. Ha, ha. A linguist's nightmare, eh? But seriously, you know what that means.  
  
The gang's now in Police Plaza, after a quick ride on a hotshot, and the human passengers wobbled out on shaking knees. At Root's orders, Foaly was to meet them there immediately with vehicles for quick transport. There was no use alarming the populace on the Mud Men's presence. As soon as they caught sight of Foaly, Root took out his Neutrino and yelled, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't start blasting you right now!" "Er, because you'll have cramps?" Root, not in the mood to argue, muttered away as they prepared to drive to H.Q.  
  
Back at the makeshift debriefing room (Root is still apprehensive when it comes to showing Fowl the LEP's prowess), Foaly announced. "Well, Herr Furrer, I have some good news and some bad news." Mulch smiled at the good news and fell back to Earth at the bad news. "Good news is, we've found the disc, or at least its contents. The very bad news is, it's on the Internet." Holly almost dropped from her seat, while Root's cigar became noticeably shorter and shorter. "Since when?" "Just yesterday. But, the thing is," Foaly began to chuckle uncontrollably, "the thing is, those Mud Men think its like a dime novel or something! They've posted in on the Internet, waiting for some Mark DeGaume to claim the novel!" Foaly was really letting it out now, pointing at Mulch then at the plasma screen where the info was shown while laughing with abandon. "You, right a novel? Give me a break!" A quick cough from Holly straightened him up right quick.  
  
Artemis wasn't quite listening to the hubbub. "Butler, It appears I've been acting rather, rash lately. First of all, I haven't made any plans on bringing back the Fowl wealth. It's as if something in my brain has been whispering to me all the while that it was absolutely important to decipher the mystery of the lenses first. Then, along came these, these pixies and suddenly my pursuit has been diverted to whatever we've been dragged into." Butler laid a hand on his young master's shoulder and replied, "Artemis, I'm as confused as you by this unexpected turn of events. But, if its any consolation they seem to know something about you that seems as mysterious as those two contact lenses. I feel like the lenses and these new acquaintances are somehow related."  
  
Artemis, frustrated with himself on trying to find some explanation for his recent behavior (and the Arty we know would never go with laser-firing strangers at a whim), put his hands inside his pockets and felts something hard inside. He took it out and saw that it was the vial where he put the lens in. "Well then, I guess we'll be able to find that out."  
  
Foaly explained again, "We've, well, I've traced the source back to a computer workshop in Jamaica. And since people there aren't expecting an invasion by technologically superior pygmies, obviously there's not much that'll prevent even one Retrieval officer to get back the disc. And we can send a virus from here to that particular website that'll disappear within 24 hours, along with the information. All the Mud Men will see afterwards is, well, a site cleaner than a clean slate. But, there seems to be something peculiar about the file. The minute I accessed the site, I couldn't enter because of a special way it was encrypted. It cannot be accessed by other computers except the one where the disc was inserted." "Then let's go to Jamaica and be done with it!" Root snapped, especially ill tempered. Holly said, "Putting this matter aside, what do we do with the two at the back?" she asked, pointing to the two humans. "Another mind wipe, then," Root said matter-of-factly. Holly, depressed yet again, sighed and said, "I better tell them, then."  
  
She walked over to where the two were and stood directly in front of Artemis. Artemis, meanwhile, saw an opportunity to ask about the lens, so he held up the vial and began, "Ms. Holly, about these-" he stopped short, freezing where he was.  
  
Suddenly, the image of the blurred girl and the hazel contact lenses flashed before his eyes again, but this time, the words were repeated over and over again, each time the girl's appearance began to clear up. Finally, he stopped hearing the words and the memory stopped, as if someone hit a pause button in his head. "Holly? Holly, Holly Short!" he muttered. Then, as if the pause button suddenly turned to fast forward, memories from the first time he met the People up till his mind wipe flashed in his brain. His brain focused only on the incoming memories; Artemis fell to the floor.  
  
Butler instinctively stood up and tried to wake him from his trance. "What's happening to him?" he asked, looking at Holly. She, too, was shocked as she replied, "Memories, two years worth of memories, flooding back to him in a space of two minutes. It's occupying every space in his brain, causing it to ignore anything else, except involuntary actions. Oh gods!"  
  
Finally, Artemis opened his eyes. Before when he entered the room, it was as unfamiliar as the underground terrain he was taken to. But now, with freshly re-acquired memories, it's as if he had just entered it again after a long time. "Debriefing room," he breathed, and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. A smile Holly has never seen from him before, a smile of fond recognition. Holly looked at Foaly and Root, as they muttered under their breath, "Total recall." 


	6. Come out, Mr DeGaume!

Disclaimer: Okay, if you find my name where Eoin Colfer's should be, then you must've entered my dreams. In a nutshell, I do not own Artemis Fowl or any other whatever related to him.  
  
Root smacked his forehead. "Total recall! TOTAL RECALL! Not only that, total recall on BOTH OF THEM! NEXT MIND WIPE, I DON'T WANT THIS HAPPENING AGAIN, YOU HEAR?" Foaly mumbled, "If there is another mind wipe." You see, the minute Arty got his bearings, he began reciting all the important events he just "remembered", bringing about Butler's total recall, too. Holly, though still a bit shocked, snickered at Foaly's remark.  
  
"Foaly, prepare the mind wipe pronto!" Root grunted. Knowing that would most especially ruin everyone's fun, Artemis said in a mockingly innocent voice, "But, Commander, what of your present 'crisis'? Surely, this is a more pressing matter than erasing my memory." "To heck with Mud Men and their uncontrollable sarcasm!" Root bellowed, smacking his forehead as he headed to his office. After a few seconds of silence, everyone in the debriefing room roared with laughter (well, since there was only Holly, Foaly and Arty and Butler. Artemis just smiled along with Butler, so I guess only two of them actually laughed).  
  
"So, the 'high and mighty' Artemis Fowl the Second's back. Oooh, I'm scared!" Holly jeered sarcastically. Before dear Art could retort, Holly punched him in the face. "HA! I've waited all week to do that!" she said triumphantly. Artemis stood up and straightened his tie and said, "I'm letting you off the hook on that one, Captain Short, for old time's sake." "Hey, for old time's sake, can you please return what little is left from the fairy gold you got from us?" Foaly hopefully suggested. "Nice try."  
  
Then, Artemis diverted his attention to the LEP's present dilemma. "My, my. Look at all the trouble my disc caused. Mulch, I presume, is behind it?" Holly rolled her eyes, taking care to glance at the squirming dwarf, who, by the way, was strapped to his seat per Root's orders. "Then, it is only a matter of retrieving it from the hands of an unwitting computer specialist. No doubt my encryption prevented any further viewing from the Internet," Artemis continued. After that, they arranged for shuttle transport to the nearest fairy fort to Jamaica (they had to dodge some flying equipment from Root's office, though. That's about an hour's dodging and waiting for Root's newfound temper to dissipate.)  
  
The gang (namely Holly, Arty and Butler, since Foaly, as always, has to remain at Ops) drove in the Mercedes-Benz and were nearing the computer shop when they were stopped by a crowd. "Oh, no, I hope this isn't what I think it is. Artemis, are you sure that encryption thing you did was secure?" Holly said with anxiety. Artemis, in reply, pointed to a large banner hanging from the front of the shop, which says, "The Search for Mark DeGaume".  
  
The computer specialist, let's call him Bill, stood up on a makeshift wooden stage and said, "Hello, fellow bookworms. Today, we celebrate one of the most thrilling yet mysterious novels made, and of course, the man behind it. But we have a handful of people here claiming the right to being Mark DeGaume. Here with me is Mr. Ketterly, the kind sir who discovered Mr. DeGaume's work, and will be with me to judge which one of these people really is the newly discovered novelist."  
  
The crowd cheered, as Holly elbowed Mulch and said, "Normally, we'd do a mass mind-wipe and all the others stuff we do at circumstances like this, but, it would just ruin the fun, really." Mulch, a bead of sweat forming at his brow, said, "Eh, Holly-Captain Short, ma'am (you could just hear Holly snicker), I'd have you know that public speaking is not one of my many talents." Foaly's voice crackled from Holly's helmet com-link. "Come now, Mulch, at least try and undo the wrong you did. All you have to do is go there, claim the disc and then we do our thing." Then Foaly spoke to Holly, "I reckon you still have the 'Chameleon' device with you? I bet you'd need it. No need to shield since you'll-" "Blend in like a real Mud Man, I know, Foaly." With that, she switched on the Chameleon and transformed her façade into that of a regular Mud Man's.  
  
None of the aspiring DeGaumes were having any luck. All were rejected and Bill was about to postpone the festivities when Mulch hurriedly climbed onto the stage. "Wait! I'll prove to you I'm the genuine article!" he said in haste, looking at Holly and her trigger finger straying to her concealed Neutrino. Before anyone could object, he narrated whatever he could recall, from his involvement in the Fowl Manor siege, up till the retrieval mission of the C-Cube. Good news is, he remembered every tiny bit, bad news is, "Mister, ah, whoever, I believe you only narrated the part, or rather, the point of view of one character in the novel. We need more proof, unfortunately," Bill said. Just then, another figure clambered onstage and said, "I believe I am the one you're looking for. You see, he may be Mr. DeGaume, but that disc belongs to me," Artemis said while fervently brushing off dust that got stuck on his precious suit.  
  
Holly smiled as Artemis gave a blow-by-blow account of the events that occurred from the past two years, not leaving anything out, except the part that all these events have actually happened. Bill was visibly delighted and when Artemis finished, Bill yelled, "We have our author!" The crowd cheered, and Holly spoke through the bug on Artemis' collar, "Good job, author boy."  
  
Then a person asked, "I have a question Mr.-" "Arthur. Arthur Felton (Holly said, "What in the name of Frond is Arthur Felon? Can't you come up with anything better?")." "Erm, yes, Mr. Felton, are you implying a pairing between the main character and the female lead?" Artemis could here Holly spit out the water she was drinking. He worded his statement loud and clear, "No, no, that's not my intention. Ms. Short, the female character, was a figure of admiration for, ah, Artemis Fowl, as a sibling would look up to the older. He regards her as the big sister he never had, and she would be one of the most respectable individuals he would come to know."  
  
Holly, upon hearing those words, was quite surprised. She said through the com-link, "Foaly, are you sure this is Artemis Fowl and not some deluded impostor?" Foaly snickered and replied, "Yep, that's our juvenile delinquent, through and through. But I don't think he's a delinquent any more, from the words he just said." But her astonishment evaporated into murderous annoyance when Fowl continued his statement, "But, I am not saying that's the end of the romance. I am actually hinting at a love triangle between Holly, the tech genius Foaly, and Trouble Kelp." "Why that dirty, little-!" Holly and Foaly remarked at the same time." 


	7. Epilogue

Disclaimer: Well y'all know the drill. I don't own Artemis Fowl or any other character linked to him.  
  
After a mass mind-wipe, and completely shutting down the "novel's" website, it was time again to face facts.  
  
"But, Commander! Another mind-wipe?" Holly said in disbelief. The smoke from his fungus cigar hid Root's purple complexion. "Yes, Captain Short, another mind wipe, and get some guts to accept it, too!" "It's not fair," she said, pouting. Foaly shook his head. Holly Short Blues the sequel, here we come. "It's not fair," she repeated. Why now, when she finally saw the human side to Artemis Fowl? Why now, when they were like a team again, albeit a strange one?  
  
Back at Police Plaza, the techies were already wiring the two humans up for the mind-wipe. Holly stood beside Artemis. "I'm really sorry, Artemis, but you know Root, there's no changing his mind on this." She shooed away a techie as Artemis held out his hand, "It's been a privilege to meet you, again, Holly." She took his hand and shook it. Foaly clip-clopped over to them and took his hand too. "There will never be another like you, Fowl, buddy," he said, surprised that he actually called a Mud Man "buddy", particularly this Mud Man. But whatever evil things Artemis had done before seemed to dissipate to nonexistence, as Holly gave Artemis a big hug, and Butler an even bigger hug. "Take care of yourself and my little 'bro' here, as always. I wouldn't be around to heal you any more," she said. "As always, yes, Ms. Holly. You take care, too. Do tell us when's the next goblin uprising. You know where we live." "I most certainly do. Goodbye, old friend."  
  
Holly and Foaly stepped back as the last arrangements were made. All they needed was a go-signal from Foaly to start the wipe, but he would utter a word. "Foaly, are you alright? Or are you beginning to go emotional?" Holly said sarcastically. Foaly folded his arms smugly and said, "Ah, wait. In three, two, one, boom!" At that, the door burst open and in went a vein- pulsing-to-the-limit Root. "D'Arvit! Stop the mind-wipe!" he roared. Foaly snickered as Root slammed down a piece of paper containing the Council's decision on the mind wipe. Holly picked it up and read aloud. "As of today, seeing as Artemis Fowl and Butler, the Mud Men in question, are sincere in their friendship with the People, the Council has decided that any further mind-wipes are deemed unnecessary. Effective immediately." She put down the paper with a smile.  
  
"I really wish you could stay for at least a few minutes," Artemis said. Holly offered to escort them back to Fowl Manor, and here they were saying their good-byes. "Sorry, have to go, Artemis. But I guess it's safe to say that you might see a slight haze every morning," Holly said, shaking his hand. She stepped back and hovered a few feet from the ground and said, "Well, whatever good-byes I have to say have been said back at Haven already, so, no need to be redundant. And I do so love to see Root's face. Foaly says their already placing their bets on Private Freine, since he'd already come as close as a foot from Root's office." With a final wave, she shielded and flew off. "Till next time, Holly," Artemis said. Holly soared over the city, taking in the Irish landscape. She looked at the Mud Men scurrying about in their business, like a fisherman on the way to the market, an old beggar in brown rags, or a rich woman strutting around with her poodle. She thought that if even the once criminal genius Artemis can set aside his personal gain to earn a few friends then there might be a chance for the People to make peace with them. But when she looked at the beggar man again, she got a tingle down her spine, as if that beggar was to be the start of something, but she just shrugged it off. She should've remembered that fairy intuition was never wrong.  
  
The End 


End file.
